Attkisson: Fears of 'Racism' Scare Media from Reporting on Border

19 Jun 2014

Former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson criticized the “woefully lacking” media coverage of the border crisis in an interview on Laura Ingraham radio show on Thursday.

Ingraham asked Attkisson to grade the journalism covering the unfolding crisis at the southern border, which has seen an influx of Central American youth in recent months. Attkisson explained there is much to be desires.

“Woefully lacking,” she responded. “When [my producer and I] would go down there and we would discuss what a huge disaster it was in the making, and marvel at how little coverage it’s getting outside those areas– I mean, they’re covering it down there in Texas and Arizona, but they’re not covering it anywhere else in the country and it impacts everybody in huge ways. I think that’s just a ripe area for all kinds of stories that aren’t being done. And a lot of dangers. Cities on this side of the border, American cities, have been entirely co-opted by the drug cartels now. They’re basically bought and paid for by them, where the residents work for them and everybody knows who – the police work for them and everybody knows who they are because they live in the big houses, and it’s kind of accepted as a way of life and there’s been very little coverage of this.”

Attkisson went on to explain how only one side” of stories are being reported, which are sympathetic to illegal immigrants.

“It’s perceived as you’re negative, or you’re mean, or you’re racist perhaps if you go after these other stories, and I simply don’t think that’s the case, but I feel like there is that kind of pressure sometimes,” she added.

Attkisson said that there are plenty of stories out there, such as “cities on this side of the border, American cities, have been entirely co-opted by the drug cartels.”